To serve
by kitfreaks
Summary: Everyone questions Snape's loyalty, but only he knows the truth. His task finished, Snape returns to his true master.


disclaimer: blah blah, not mine, you know the drill.

With two little words and wave of his wand Severus Snape struck down the man who was considered the greatest wizard of the age. His task completed, the dark wizard gathered the frightened boy who had been put in his charge and fled the castle. He returned to the side of the dark lord and was hailed as his greatest follower. Draco burrowed into his family manor, which disappeared off the face of the earth along with all the gold in his family vault, and all the land they owned. Dark forces were suspected to be at work, but whoever had cast the spells involved was _really_ good at hiding things, so in time he was forgotten.

Shortly after his dramatic double cross of Dumbledore. He tied up another loose end, A stoke of luck delivered the werewolf Remus Lupin and the youngest Weasley into his tender mercy. He let them spend a full moon together. The following morning he retuned and force fed the distraught and weakened werewolf a poison he had been saving for just such an occasion. Potter arrived moments to late to save the wolf, and far to late to save his girlfriend. Snape departed; satisfied at a score well settled.

He stood faithfully at Voldemort's right hand even in the final battle. He watched impassively as Potter and the Dark lord squared off. Occasionally deflecting stray spells from the two fighters. Potters emotional control hadn't improved and he was disarmed easily. Voldemort raised his wand to kill the brat who lived and was struck from behind with a spell his most trusted servant had come up with himself, back in his school days. Voldemort turned shocked eyes on his servant, which gave Potter just the window he needed to grab his wand and fulfill the prophecy. Then he turned hate filled eyes on the greatest traitor the wizarding world had ever known. Potter leaped at Snape, and was caught totally off guard by the blast of energy that came at him from the side.

Potters side ached and whatever had hit him was keeping him pinned securely to the ground, but he could see just fine. So he watched helpless, wand once again out of reach, as Snape slipped off his Death Eater robe, smirked at him and strolled down the hill. It was only then that Potter saw what had attacked him. It looked like a man, that is it was man shaped, but energy radiated off it that clearly wasn't human. Snape approached it and spoke.

"I'm all finished here"

The creature gave him an almost affectionate grin, and answered. "I knew I could count on you." Then the creature, wrapped a muscular arm around Snape's waist and the two vanished, as though the anti-apparation wards didn't exist.

Potter lay there on that battlefield and tried to make sense of the unexpected turn of events. Meanwhile the Death Eaters scattered; leaderless, and the ministry declared the war to be won.

That night Severus Snape relaxed. His job was done and he was finally able to return to his one true master. The one who's bidding had guided his every action since he was a child. For this creature he had taken the dark mark. For this creature he had thrown himself to Dumbledore's mercy. The creature had many names; the Japanese knew it as a forest god, in England it would probably be called an earth elemental.

The ancient being liked continuance, and so it disliked warlords and their tendency to muck up the order of things. Grindelwald had been troublesome enough. So when it sensed the rise of another dark lord. It found itself a tool. A child who was alone, unwanted and utterly brilliant. The creature gave the boy love, became his playmate, and fed his hunger for knowledge. In return the boy gave the Earth Spirit absolute loyalty.

In time the boy became a man and he was sent to the young mister Riddle, for the sole purpose of destroying him. To reward Severus for the danger he was putting himself in. The creature used all its power to poison the heart of the rat, and destroy the ones who had tormented his servant. It then sent its servant to topple the throne of the manipulative Dumbledore; who no longer looked past his games to see the people he hurt. Severus performed magnificently.

Now the dangerous task was complete and England no longer suffered its warlords. The creature carefully removed the dark tattoo branded on Severus' arm, its beloved servant complained he would be bored, and it answered that it would always have work for him.

Six months later, a tall man stepped off a plane into Africa. Against all odds he didn't look a day over twenty-five. You could no longer see the scar left behind by his nose job. His short black hair looked like it needed washed, but that was forgivable given how long the flight had been. He was fair skinned and just beginning to tan, but what drew attention was his eyes. Deep black pools that looked much older than his apparent age. In his pocket was a letter from his godson; who was working to find out just how much forgiveness money could buy. Draco expected to return to society within two years.

The tall man, who at the moment was choosing to call himself Ryan, arranged for a jungle safari the next day. Within three days of his arrival in Africa, He was kneeling in the presence of Ur-ilganda. The continent's up and coming dark lord. After a few convenient deaths in the ranks of the dark lords followers and some very good advice from Ryan He was promoted to Ur-ilganda's right hand. Shortly after he was slain in his sleep. Food poisoning apparently. As quietly as he had come Ryan moved on. He returned once more to his master.

His master always found work for it's servant. And he was happy, doing what he did best.


End file.
